Studnitzky - Nocturnal (2022) [Hi-Res]

There’s a heavy-heart feeling that touches every track on ‘Nocturnal’, Sebastian Studnitzky’s latest album. Not quite dark enough to characterize a melancholy, rather the album unfolds a gentle blend of blues and serenity that’s most common on Sunday evenings or during creative insomniac spells at dawn. “All of these songs were composed, produced, and finalized at night time,” notes Studnitzky, who for six months live-streamed midnight sessions of his improvisations to an audience of fellow night owls. Nocturnal captures Studnitzky’s solo introspection during these late sessions of playing the trumpet, piano and electronics, but more than just retaining the gloom of his surroundings, this music also expresses many of the unique feelings associated with the after-hours; haziness and obscurity dabbed with lucid insights, peaceful meditations punctured with quiet longings.

It was from these contrasting feelings of connection and isolation that Nocturnal was born. Perhaps no other track on the album best captures this polarity than ‘Flusso’, where fast-paced and intense percussion runs parallel to melancholic piano keys. Momentarily throughout the track these two universes collide, and as they synchronize the air is filled with poignancy and momentum.

“I like to limit my tools, it makes me more creative. Most songs consist of just a few tracks, and most of these tracks were kind of jammed and recorded as a first take,” says the musician. This lack of polishing also makes Flusso an incredibly personal and relatable journey, as Studnitzky himself puts it, “This album is just a documentation of my process. It’s not really a classical album, where you go to the studio, record, mix and finish the work. It’s more of a compilation of the journey of my last year. It’s not very controlled and I’m not interested in it being perfect.” (Sebastian Studnitzky)

Sebastian Studnitzky, trumpet